Bruchey readmitted to hospital

Hagerstown Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II was readmitted to the hospital Thursday afternoon for treatment of a bacterial sinus infection, said Karen Giffin, the city's spokeswoman.

"The mayor wants to reassure the public that his latest hospitalization is not related to his heart condition," Giffin said.

Hospital officials said Thursday night they had no information on Bruchey's condition.

Bruchey, 39, underwent angioplasty on March 11 at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

An angioplasty is done by attaching a balloon to a heart catheter. The balloon is inflated over the narrowed areas in the heart, pressing any plaque against the vessel walls, according to a technician in the cardiac catheterization lab at Washington County Hospital. The procedure widens the opening and increases blood flow.

The mayor had visited his cardiologist for a scheduled appointment on March 9 and was admitted to Washington County Hospital when doctors detected irregularities in his heart.

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He was transferred to the University of Maryland Medical Center for diagnostic tests the next morning and returned home on March 12 after his angioplasty.

The mayor has asked that only his family be allowed to visit or call him at the hospital, Giffin said.